A scorching heat appeared above.
Without even looking, Kakashi swung his dual swords upward. Two arcs of chakra manifested as solid sword auras, slicing straight forward.
Only then did he notice that Obito's attack was a massive fireball.
The residual moisture in the air instantly evaporated.
The air turned arid.
His two sword auras sliced through the fireball, vanishing into the sky.
There was no trace of Obito behind the fireball. But it split into two separate fireballs hurtling toward Kakashi.
Kakashi calmly stepped back half a pace. In an instant, dozens of sword beams burst forth like a shield wall, completely shredding the fireballs.
A frown tugged at his brow.
If it were before, he wouldn't have needed to use sword techniques twice.
The only explanation was that Obito's control and understanding of Fire Release had vastly improved.
Perhaps he really couldn't beat Obito now.
Just as this thought flashed through his mind, sudden light flared before him—like a meteor shower rushing from afar, an endless rain of flame-wrapped kunai descended from above.
Accompanying them was Obito's voice.
Loudly.
Echoing across hundreds of meters in every direction.
"Got what you deserve for stealing people! Keep stealing people! Burn to death!"
"???"
Kakashi nearly spat blood.
How low could this guy go!
At that moment, another voice rang in his ears.
"You've already got my resurrection armor on. Push now."
Kakashi startled slightly, instinctively raising his dual swords. Blinding light erupted, like the purest moonlight, cutting all the falling kunai into pieces.
Only after the clash did he realize what Obito had said.
Resurrection Armor—the item from League of Legends.
Remembering what Haruki had told him about Obito's Mangekyo Sharingan ability,
Kakashi, ever perceptive, quickly deduced the truth.
Obito hadn't yet earned the trust of that mysterious ninja.
And Kakashi himself—as his teammate—was the ideal test case.
A smirk curled on Kakashi's lips. "Stealing? We're mutual. Who asked you, a demon like yourself, to interfere?"
"You're full of crap!"
Obito immediately flew into a rage.
His form materialized from Kamui, standing before Kakashi, shouting furiously, "She loves me! Die already!"
A pale blue glow emanated from his form.
An invisible yet immense pressure surged outward like a powerful tornado in every direction.
Kakashi's smile froze.
He sensed an overwhelming aura.
What was this?
Had Obito truly become this strong?
Clutching his swords tighter, he surged his chakra once more.
But Obito's chakra was even more chaotic, completely overwhelming everything else.
A colossal azure giant loomed overhead.
Huge—even just its upper half loomed above, demanding one to look up in awe.
It wore armor and held a colossal katana over forty meters long.
Obito stood within its body, appearing as small as an ant.
For the first time, a flicker of panic crossed Kakashi's face.
But he quickly regained his composure.
"So this is what your eyes grant you?"
"Exactly."
Obito laughed arrogantly, "All your attacks are childish attempts to resist it. So die!"
As he spoke, the samashii behind him raised his katana.
Azure light blazed like meteors, plummeting with terrifying speed.
Shock flickered in Kakashi's eyes.
An overwhelming force, impossible to resist, slammed his body downward.
Dust burst up.
Sprays of blood exploded.
Kakashi crashed straight into the ground, forming a large crater.
His body shattered at multiple joints.
"Farewell, Kakashi. We shall meet again in your next life."
Obito stood before him and swung his blade down. Kakashi's head rolled away.
Far away, Zetsu blinked, visibly surprised.
So he's really dead?
He remembered their earlier quarrel and sighed inwardly at love's power.
Wu Nan was entirely fabricated by him.
Obito should have realized that already, yet he still told Kakashi, You are Wu Nan.
His true purpose must have been to tell his own story through Wu Nan.
Zetsu finally understood!
Humans were truly complex creatures.
He appeared before Obito and bent over to check Kakashi's corpse.
If this were a clone, it would definitely disappear after death.
His eyes flickered slightly—it was undoubtedly the real body.
As an expert in clones, no one could possibly fool him.
"I never thought you'd actually kill him," Zetsu said, standing up with a faint smile. "I was worried you wouldn't be able to go through with it."
Obito shot him a cold glance.
Combined with his towering Susanoo, he looked quite intimidating.
"Don't question me."
"Oh my, my mistake," White Zetsu chimed in.
He nudged Kakashi's corpse lightly with his foot. "What should we do with this guy?"
"Do whatever you want with him," Obito replied indifferently before turning to leave.
Zetsu hesitated briefly.
He really means business, huh?
He watched Obito's retreating figure for a moment, then smiled.
This was exactly the Obito Uchiha that he and Madara had hoped for.
Fixated solely on the plan—nothing else mattered.
Anyone who stood in his way would only find death.
Zetsu paid no further attention to Kakashi, walking away—but shortly returned to the spot.
He thought of Haruki.
Under normal circumstances, having one's head cut off meant certain death.
But Haruki was a Medical Ninja, and one who had reached the pinnacle.
He feared there might be some method to bring Kakashi back to life.
Thus, he raised his hand—Chakra shaped itself into a blade and carved the corpse into fragments.
"If even this can't stop him from coming back, then I'll have nothing more to say."
Zetsu vanished from the spot, leaving behind nothing but chaos.
The caravan Kakashi was protecting had already fled when the battle began.
Only the wind stirred the quiet mountain path.
Who knew how much time passed.
Suddenly, golden light covered Kakashi's remains.
A human shape glowed within the radiance.
And soon grew steadily more solid.
Kakashi's form gradually emerged from the light.
If Haruki had been here, he would've recognized this scene immediately.
It looked just like a synthetic robot booting up.
"Ah~"
Kakashi clutched his head and groaned in pain.
His memories lingered on the moment Obito's sword cut him down.
"This guy actually held nothing back."
Kakashi rubbed his forehead, muttering under his breath despite himself.
Though resurrected, this was the first time he'd truly felt the pain of dying.
That must make him practically one of a kind in the ninja world, right?
Dead and brought back to life.
He didn't know about the Impure World Reincarnation technique yet.
Otherwise, he definitely wouldn't think that way.
Pushing aside these thoughts, Kakashi focused on sensing the changes in his body.
The pain had vanished.
All his senses had returned.
It felt great to be alive.
Obito had killed him personally, so he should now gain complete trust, right?
Kakashi headed straight back to Konoha.
He moved cautiously along the way, hiding his presence so no one noticed him.
Like Rin Nohara before him, Kakashi also needed to vanish for a while.
Before that, though, he still needed to meet someone—Haruki Seimei.
Inside the Konoha Ninja University office,
Kakashi appeared.
Immediately, he cast a barrier around the room.
"Huh?"
Haruki twitched the corner of his mouth slightly.
What was this about?
Aside from that fight with Tsunade, he'd never cast a barrier with another man in the room before.